My must has been fermenting for 12 days now. I started with a SG of 1.122 and today it test at 1.018 SG. I'm still noticing gas release in my Airlock every 5-6 seconds. When should I expect fermentation to stop. BTW I am making a 5 gallon batch of Ken Schramm's Orange Blossom Sweet Mead.
fermentation question?
- Thread starter brd_hef
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Once that SG doesn't move for at least a couple days then you'll know it's more or less done fermenting and ready for aging.
Don't pay attention to bubbles, they don't mean much. There will still be CO2 in solution for months, so it could keep bubbling for quite a while as that gets slowly released.
Don't pay attention to bubbles, they don't mean much. There will still be CO2 in solution for months, so it could keep bubbling for quite a while as that gets slowly released.
update
I've rack my mead to secondary. Its been 2 weeks since. Tastes promising though it does not appear as I thought it would. It more resembles a white wine in appearance than what I had imagined. Is this typical? Will it darken with age?
I've rack my mead to secondary. Its been 2 weeks since. Tastes promising though it does not appear as I thought it would. It more resembles a white wine in appearance than what I had imagined. Is this typical? Will it darken with age?
Is it completely clear? If there is still some yeast in suspension (if it isn't clear enough that you can read newsprint through a glass carboy filled with it), then it will appear somewhat lighter in color than it will be once that stuff settles out.
However, the final color of your mead is dependent on the honey varietal that you used (some are much darker than others - Orange Blossom is often rather light), and on how much oxidation occurs to your mead along the way. It will darken slightly with aging time, and oxidation. But if you were expecting something darkly golden in the glass, you may be out of luck with this batch.
If it is any consolation, some of the tastiest sweet meads that I've ever had have been very light in color.
However, the final color of your mead is dependent on the honey varietal that you used (some are much darker than others - Orange Blossom is often rather light), and on how much oxidation occurs to your mead along the way. It will darken slightly with aging time, and oxidation. But if you were expecting something darkly golden in the glass, you may be out of luck with this batch.
If it is any consolation, some of the tastiest sweet meads that I've ever had have been very light in color.
